Japanese Firms in Contemporary Singapore

This pioneering work discusses the role of Japan in the economic development of Singapore since 1965 by looking at the nature and extent of the value-added activities of Japanese multi-national corporations in the manufacturing, construction, and retailing sectors. Japan's economic presence and influence have been very strong in Singapore in the past few decades. Currently, the city state is one of the major recipients of Japanese foreign direct investment in Asia, and is also a very important overseas customer for Japanese manufacturing and construction firms. Nevertheless, there is no major academic work on Japanese economic activities in the city state, even though there are large numbers of works on the economic development of Singapore.Based on primary and secondary sources in English and Japanese, Hiroshi Shimizu examines the nature and extent of the value-added activities of Japanese multi-national corporations in the manufacturing, construction and retail sectors, drawing on case studies of leading companies such as Minebea, the Pokka Corporation, Kikkoman, Bridgestone, and Isetan. The author uses this information to analyze Japanese Foreign Direct Investment in Singapore as part of an Asian or global strategy, and to explore competition and co-operation between Japanese MNCs and local firms. He also evaluates various factors involved in the decline of Japan and the rise of China in the economic and other areas in Singapore, especially since the late 1990s.